No one was more shocked to see Steward Zhang killed up close than Xi Yueluan.
Her gaze was fixed on Lin Luo, and it was a long moment before she regained her composure. As a special envoy for the Holy Hall, one who had returned from a journey to find her roots in other worlds, Xi Yueluan had witnessed countless ambush-style Mages, but what she had just seen was more shocking than any of those encounters!
It was common knowledge that ambush-style Mages possessed incredible burst damage, making them one of the most feared types of combatants. However, those who could truly master the art of the ambush were few and far between.
Ambush-style Mages were a sub-class of rogue Mages who used advanced aura-concealing techniques and damage-boosting abilities to strike an enemy's weak points, inflicting fatal damage and aiming for a one-hit kill.
They were both Seventh Rank Mages, yet at this distance, Xi Yueluan's Divine Sense couldn't detect even a trace of his aura!
"You're the Alchemy Master?" Xi Yueluan asked gravely.
"Alchemist? Oh… yeah, that's me," Lin Luo replied casually, stuffing Steward Zhang's corpse into his Spatial Ring. His amused gaze landed on Xi Yueluan. "Speaking of which, you're the only one left of the experts the five great sects sent."
Xi Yueluan's expression darkened, and she keenly sensed the chill in his tone. "I'm afraid you've misunderstood, Master. I returned this time mainly to visit family. The matter of the Experience Pills was a secondary concern."
"I know exactly how your five great sects operate in the shadows. Don't play the saint with me." Lin Luo waved a dismissive hand and scoffed. "But since you lent a hand earlier, I'll let you off the hook this time."
Xi Yueluan couldn't stomach such an insult. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?" she bit out coldly.
Lin Luo gave a contemptuous smile, wiping the blood from his dagger. "You're just a Mage back from some root-seeking journey. Do you really think you're that special?"
"What do you mean by that?" Xi Yueluan's expression darkened further.
"Nothing much. I just can't stand people from the Holy Hall," Lin Luo retorted with a sneer.
Doubt flickered in Xi Yueluan's eyes. After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly looked up and asked, "You're from the Thief God Hall?"
"Oh, wow, it took you this long to figure it out? You really live up to your title as a special envoy of the Holy Hall." Lin Luo's face was a mask of ridicule, and he sneered without reservation. "In any case, don't try to pull that 'five great sects' rank on me. I'm not buying it."
With that, he paid Xi Yueluan's reaction no mind and walked straight toward Feng Hao.
Staring at Lin Luo's back, Xi Yueluan's expression was grim and unsettled. 'To think the Alchemist who refines Experience Pills is actually from the Thief God Hall… This is going to be complicated.'
Meanwhile, Feng Hao was clearly much calmer than Miao Feng and Xi Yueyao.
As the top Assassin in the game *Mage*, he was no stranger to instant kills. What truly shocked him was how visceral it was in person—the raw impact of blood and death made the hair on his neck stand on end!
"M-Master, that strike just now was incredible!" Feng Hao couldn't help but give a thumbs-up as Lin Luo approached.
Lin Luo nodded and smirked. "You all head back to the Miao Medicine Tower first. I'm going to go dispose of the body."
"Alright," Feng Hao nodded quietly.
With that, Lin Luo shot off into the distance.
A moment later, Xi Yueluan strolled over gracefully, her hand stroking the black cat's head as her gaze fell on Feng Hao. "You must be Feng Hao, correct? Yaoyao was very worried about you, you know!"
"Thank you for your help, Senior." Feng Hao glanced at Xi Yueyao and bowed gratefully.
Xi Yueluan gave a noncommittal smile and nodded, then turned to her niece. "Yaoyao, it's time for us to head back. This is the Beixing Family's estate, after all."
"Mm," Xi Yueyao snapped out of her daze and looked at Feng Hao. "Medicine-selling boy, I'm going home with my aunt for now. We'll meet in class tomorrow."
"Sure, go ahead." Feng Hao didn't want to interrupt their family reunion and nodded with a small smile.
"Remember to meet at the academy tomorrow!" Xi Yueyao vaulted onto her horse—oh, right—onto her cat, calling out one last reminder as she left.
"Got it!" Feng Hao chuckled and waved, watching the two of them depart.
He glanced back at the still-dazed Miao Feng and shook his head in resignation. "Xiaomiaozi, wake up! It's time to go!"
"Huh?" Miao Feng, his expression vacant, instinctively followed Feng Hao as he left.
And just like that, the crisis was over, leaving behind nothing but a ruined courtyard and the utterly dumbfounded members of the Beixing Clan…
Beneath the night sky, the black cat's agile form weaved through the streets of Rongcheng. With Feng Hao safe, Xi Yueyao's tense heart finally relaxed, but the shocking scene from earlier still replayed in her mind.
"Auntie, Feng Hao's master is so powerful! How did he do that?" Xi Yueyao asked naively.
Xi Yueluan frowned and explained, "The man is indeed powerful. It's just a shame he's from the Thief God Hall."
"What's the Thief God Hall? Is it even more powerful than the Holy Hall?" Xi Yueyao asked curiously.
"The Thief God Hall…" Xi Yueluan paused to think, then said coolly, "…is just a bunch of crude, self-taught Mages who aren't fit for the grand stage. They call themselves the sixth great sect, but they've never been officially recognized."
"Why not?"
"It's difficult for a faction of self-taught Mages to gain recognition, and on top of that, they're always up to some sort of thieving, shady business. No one would ever acknowledge them." Xi Yueluan paused before continuing, "Furthermore, the five great sects have always considered it beneath them to associate with the Thief God Hall."
"Are self-taught Mages really that bad?" Xi Yueyao pouted.
"Of course."
"But I don't think medicine-selling boy is bad at all!"
Xi Yueluan paused, surprised. "Isn't that boy a student at Rongcheng Academy?"
"He's just an auditing student. He's not officially enrolled," Xi Yueyao said with a pout.
Xi Yueluan frowned. "Is it because his master is deliberately keeping him from enrolling?"
"I think it's because his aptitude was too poor, so he didn't pass the academy's entrance test."
'Is that so,' Xi Yueluan thought, skeptical. She furrowed her brow in contemplation.
...
By the time Feng Hao and Miao Feng returned to the Miao Medicine Tower, Lin Luo had already disposed of the body and gotten back ahead of them.
The night had been fraught with peril, but they had come out unscathed. Feng Hao couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. If Lin Luo hadn't been there, he'd probably have been captured by the five great sects and dissected for research. Best-case scenario, he would have been put under house arrest and forced to be an Alchemy Machine. Worst-case scenario… well, anything could have happened.
'I have to admit, Big Brother Lin Luo is truly my fated savior!'
After a short rest, Feng Hao, his mind full of questions, went to Lin Luo's room. Lin Luo seemed to have been expecting him. He was sitting at the table, sipping tea with a faint smile, clearly waiting.
"Brother Feng, how was my performance as your master?" Lin Luo asked teasingly, gesturing for Feng Hao to sit.
Feng Hao let out a wry laugh. "It's a good thing you're so powerful, Big Brother. Otherwise, our cover would've been blown for sure."
"Exactly!" Lin Luo's eyes crinkled in a smile, but then his expression turned serious. "We directly offended the five great sects this time. You don't blame me for that, do you, Brother Feng?"
"Of course not. I would have done the same thing in your place," Feng Hao said without hesitation.
"Haha… I knew I picked the right guy! Brother Feng, you're a perfect fit for our Thief God Hall," Lin Luo boomed with laughter.
Feng Hao chuckled. "Speaking of which, Big Brother, what's the deal with this Thief God Hall? Let me be clear up front, though: I'm not interested in running 'errands.'"
"Don't worry, running 'errands' is just a side hustle. In the Thief God Hall, we make our living with real strength. Our foundations are no less profound than those of the self-righteous five great sects!" Lin Luo said teasingly.
"Oh?" Feng Hao's eyes glinted. "Was that Secret Technique you used earlier also a legacy of the Thief God Hall?"
To be honest, the stealth and assassination Secret Technique Lin Luo had used was practically tailor-made for him. After all, Assassins and rogues weren't fundamentally that different. If he had to point out a distinction, it would be that a rogue's fighting style was a bit more sinister and underhanded.
Lin Luo sized Feng Hao up and down before nodding. "But of course. While the Thief God Hall's legacy of Demon Patterns might not be as vast as the other five sects', we have our own advantages. Especially when it comes to stealth and assassination-type Demon Patterns, the five great sects combined can't hold a candle to us."
'That's fantastic!' A thrill of excitement went through Feng Hao.
He had more or less mastered the dozen or so common Demon Patterns taught at Rongcheng Academy. He was about to reach level twenty, at which point his meridians would undergo a foundational evolution. He knew he had to get some powerful new skills to fully realize his Assassin build as soon as possible.
Seeing Feng Hao's eagerness, Lin Luo couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't be in such a hurry, Brother Feng. I still have some business to take care of here, but it shouldn't take much longer. When the time comes, I'll personally bring you into the Thief God Hall."
Feng Hao nodded in understanding and then asked, "By the way, Big Brother, what kind of business are you handling? Do you need any help?"
"It's nothing, really. It's better for you to just lie low at the academy for a while, Brother Feng. Oh, and one more thing—do not, under any circumstances, officially enroll. Otherwise, those old fossils in the Hall will definitely refuse to accept you," Lin Luo said, his expression suddenly serious.
"Don't worry, Big Brother. I have no interest in officially enrolling," Feng Hao said with a smile.
"That's true. How could a brother of mine, Lin Luo, be one of those self-righteous hypocrites?" Lin Luo chuckled.
Feng Hao laughed. "That's a perfect description, Big Brother. I love it!"
"Tell me, wasn't every powerful legacy originally carved out from nothing, through unorthodox means? Yet some people just have to prove how different they are, desperately seeking a sense of superiority. It gets more and more twisted, until they're slapping a 'holier-than-thou' label on themselves." Lin Luo seemed to have a lot to say on the subject. "They amuse themselves with their posturing, but in the end, their strength is just so-so. They're the only ones who actually believe their own hype."
"Haha… I couldn't agree more," Feng Hao said, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Come, let's toast to that—with tea instead of wine!" Lin Luo said with a pleased smile.
...
After drinking tea and chatting animatedly, the two parted ways once more.
Having eliminated the experts from the four great sects and demonstrated his absolute power to the Beixing Clan, Lin Luo was confident the Miao Medicine Tower would be safe for the time being. He could now go about his own business with peace of mind.
Naturally, Feng Hao and Miao Feng weren't about to waste time cooped up in the Miao Medicine Tower. The trial assessment was still underway, and they couldn't just give up halfway through.
After parting ways with Miao Feng, Feng Hao went straight to meet up with Xi Yueyao. He had been delayed for half a day, and most of the other students had already collected their materials and begun crafting their equipment, but he still hadn't acquired his Ghost Wolf materials.
When he walked into the Class One classroom, Xi Yueyao was already waiting for him. To his surprise, Zhang Meng, Li Mufeng, and Tu Xiaoshan were there as well. The moment they saw Feng Hao, they immediately gathered around him.
"Boss, are you okay? What on earth happened yesterday?" Zhang Meng was the first to ask.
"Yao Girl didn't tell you?" Feng Hao asked, clicking his tongue.
Li Mufeng frowned. "She did, but the details were a bit fuzzy."
"That girl was there for the whole thing yesterday. I don't have anything to add to what she told you." Feng Hao had no time to explain right now. "Let's just get ready and see if we can find a Ghost Wolf den!"
The moment Feng Hao finished speaking, the expressions on the three's faces suddenly turned strange.
Xi Yueyao suddenly dashed in front of Feng Hao with a grin. "These three are pretty loyal, you know. They stayed up all night and hunted a level-twenty Ghost Wolf for you."
"Huh?" Feng Hao froze, looking at Zhang Meng and the other two in disbelief.
With a wave of his hand, Li Mufeng produced the corpse of a Ghost Wolf. He smiled sheepishly. "Boss, yesterday's enemy was too powerful, and even the experts from our clans couldn't do much. The least we could do was take care of the Ghost Wolf for you."
"Yeah, and it's a good thing we had your pills, Boss. We never would've beaten this beast otherwise," Zhang Meng added, kicking the Ghost Wolf's corpse resentfully.
Feng Hao was silent for a long moment before clapping all three of them on the shoulder. "You guys are true friends. Thank you for your hard work!"
"Anything for you, Boss. It's what we should do," Tu Xiaoshan said with a simple-minded grin.
"Now that we have all the materials, let's go straight to an Artifact Refiner! I'll cover the costs. Don't worry, your boss has plenty of money!" Feng Hao declared with a grand wave of his hand, every bit the big spender.
...